Musical Muse
by NightShade.The.Patient.One
Summary: One should not underestimate the aural and musical talents of the Pokemon Master in training. You might be in for a surprise.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Notes: I'm a music lover, so I decided to make another AAML story that involves music. Once again, all kinds of critiques are welcome.

Until next time…

NIGHT SHADE

WARNING: Rated PG-15 for mild language, suggestive themes, and sexual humor and content. You have been warned

_**Musical Muse**_

Ch. 1: A Fight's Ripple

The forest is one of the most peaceful places on this planet. Of course, if you are a twenty-year-old man listening to two teens arguing at the top of their lungs, it is not going to be that peaceful. Brock, the oldest and the weariest of the group of three, decided to stop in his tracks and move to a stump, sitting down to take the weight off his sore feet. He sighed for the seventh time in two minutes.

'All this yelling just 'cause her music was too loud,' he thought as he looked over to the still bickering teens through his narrow eyes. The two, a young, pretty girl with a temper that matches her short, fiery hair, and a raven-haired boy, the youngest of the trio and the most competitive, were now arguing for more than an hour and a half, a new record for them.

"All I asked, Misty, was for you to turn the damn thing down to where I _couldn't_ hear it from half a mile away!"

"Well, why don't you just ignore it?" The redhead challenged as she folded her arms over her yellow cut off t-shirt.

"Well, for one thing," the boy said as he adjusted his favorite cap, "It's pretty hard to ignore something when it's so loud that I can't hear myself think!"

"Oh, wow, Ash! I didn't know that you had the mental power to actually conceive a thought!" Sarcasm would be an understatement to the tone that Misty put in her sentence.

Now Ash was upset. "And I don't know how your scrawny legs can keep you upright, but at least I keep my mouth shut about it!"

And so begins another round in their verbal match. Brock heard something plop down next to him and sigh. Not surprisingly, it was Pikachu, Ash's electric mouse Pokemon. He had been in his master's backpack for the beginning of the fight, but since had been annoyed about the humans' ridiculous little spat.

Brock turned to the little saffron mouse. "All this 'cause Misty wouldn't turn down her iPod, huh?"

"Pi-pika," Pikachu chuckled sadly as Misty held up the mentioned item.

"Oh, stop being such a baby, Ash; it wasn't that loud."

Ash laughed in disbelief. "Not that-? It was friggin' loud, Misty!"

"It was not!"

"It was too!"

"It was not!"

"It was too!"

"_Was not!"_

"_Was too!"_

"_Was not!"_

"_Was too!"_

"NOT!"

"TOO!"

Pikachu had had enough. He quickly gathered electricity from the red sacs on his cheeks and shot it towards the two quibblers, where it made contact, causing them scream in shock (no pun intended) and fall to the ground.

Brock was relieved that the other two were still conscious. He didn't want to carry them to the Pokemon Center like last time (Pikachu had a _very_ bad cold). Of course, that was months ago. Now, as Brock thinks about it as he helps the younger ones up, it had been a while since Ash and Misty had gotten this far into a fight. Deciding that they should get moving to Celadon City before dark, the four of them took some time to drink some water and started on the forest path again.

Meanwhile, the dusty wheels of Ash's mind started to turn. 'Wow, that was the longest fight we had in a while, huh? But why, as soon as we started it, did I regret it? Misty seemed to be holding back. Why was she? Wait, why am I worrying about how Misty felt about this? Why have I been thinking about her for the longest time? It's confusing…I'll figure it out at the Pokemon Center. I just hope that they got my package. I'll know that the others will want it, even if they don't know.'

Misty's thoughts were somewhat similar to Ash's 'Why didn't I go all out? Normally, we would go on and on until one of us said something cruel and the fight would end there, but this time we would change the subject before it got serious. All I could think about during the whole fight was not to hurt Ash. Last time I said something very bad, and he said that he wanted to get to bed early and left to his tent. After Brock and went to our tents, he came out of his, sat by the dying fire, and cried. I remember how bad and regret I felt…Hey! Why am I thinking about Ash so much? He started this fight, so it's his fault! Besides, I was beginning to sound like I like him…oh crap, I had to say that, didn't I? I'll sort this out once I get a nice, soft comfy bed at the Pokemon Center.'

Pikachu, on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on. Thanks to his ability to smell pheromones, he knew that the two were smitten about each other. Fear was also coming from both of them too, along with something Pikachu didn't expect: the fight somewhat aroused Misty, giving the poor Pokemon more than what he bargained for.

'I'll never understand human courting rituals,' he chuckled to himself as he jumped into his master's backpack and waited for them to reach Celadon, where he got the feeling that something good and bad was going to happen.

Author's Notes: End of Chapter 1. Have you ever noticed that some men and women get turned on during an argument? To me, that's kind of disturbing, but I put it in here anyway. What exactly is Ash's package? Even I don't know; while I do have a general plot, I'm wingin' this story; I like the turnout, though, so I'm gonna stay wingin' it.

Until next time…


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: Here's where thing get a little interesting. Ash actually snaps and yells at Misty, leaves her in the room, and goes somewhere secluded to some time to think (Him? Think?)**

**Until next time…**

**SHADOW**

_**Musical Muse**_

Ch. 2: The ripple reaches the surface.

"Ahh. Finally, we made to the Celadon Grand Hotel!" Misty was practically dancing with joy as she and the others took in the gargantuan building. "I've never been in a hotel this fancy!"

"What's wrong with the Hard Ground Motel that we all know and love?" Ash joked as he nudged Misty playfully with his shoulder. It didn't take long for Ash to roughly nudge the ground, courtesy of Misty's mallet. Brock and Pikachu sweat dropped at the impact. Misty had gotten stronger over the years…

"N-no one can take a lil' sarcasm anymore, huh?" Ash shakily got up. He really got hit hard, seeing that he saw three of everything for a few seconds.

"Whatever," Misty said as she walked into the hotel. Then suddenly Ash quickly walked passed her, bumping her shoulder and not apologizing for it, with Pikachu at his heels. Misty was about to chew him out when Brock put his hand on her shoulder.

"What now, Brock?" Misty was obviously pissed off with both men's actions.

Brock sighed. She still didn't get it. "Oh, come on, Misty. Be open minded. How do you think We can afford this hotel?"

Misty was about to retaliate when she finally thought about the fact of how _did_ they get to go to this place? Ash had gotten back from Hoenn when he suddenly said that the three of them were going to the Celadon Grand Hotel, which was notorious for it's prices and fancy guests.

"Well, Brock, now that you mention it…how exactly are we gonna be able to stay?"

"He's paying for it. All of it. So be grateful that he's tolerated you for all this time, 'cause he doesn't have to do this, you know? He's doing this because he wants to treat us." Brock explained.

Misty was in disbelief. How could Ash do this and not say a word to her? Wasn't she his friend? Numerous thoughts entered her mind when another thought entered.

"Brock, how is he paying for this? Where is he getting the money?"

"Sorry, but that's something that you gotta have him answer for you."

Misty sighed. 'Damn you, Brock. Now I'm never gonna find out,'. Misty used this as fuel in order get herself mad at Ash for not telling her. 'Who does he think he is by not telling me? Well, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!'

Misty and Brock were walking into the hotel. It was spectacular. Beautiful paintings lined the walls, delicious scents were coming from a restaurant on the other side of the lobby, and a dazzling chandelier hung in the center of the lobby. Under the chandelier was Ash, who had a large package with him that he didn't have earlier, and Pikachu, who was sitting on his hat.

"Well," he said as the other two met up with him, "I got two suites. Here you go Brock. I remembered you're afraid of sharing a room, so-"

"Thanks, man," The older male said as he grabbed one of the key cards that Ash was holding. He was surprised that Ash had remembered that; he ahd only mentioned it once when they first started their journey. And with that he was off, leaving Ash and Misty by themselves.

Ash shuffled his feet as he scratched his head. "Oh! Uh, Misty, here's one of the cards to our room."

'_Our_ room,' thought Misty as she snatched the card, putting up a façade of irritation to keep certain feeling in check. 'Oh, I hope I can get through this…'

On the way up to the suite, neither of them said a word. Even Pikachu seemed quiet. Misty had made it clear that she was angry at Ash and did not wish to speak to him. It was only after getting inside the room, exploring it's amazing interior and putting their luggage away that Misty broke the ice.

"There's only one bed."

Ash looked where she was and saw that there was, in fact, only one. He sighed and shook his head.

"Well, now we know who's sleeping on the floor." He meant himself, but Misty took it as she was the one being sent to the floor. She took this as her chance.

"You're an asshole, you know that?"

Pikachu watched in interest as Ash replied with mock surprise. "Such hostility! Why am I an asshole? What have I done? If you want an apology for the shoulder bumping-"

"You didn't tell me that you were paying for this!" Misty shouted. She didn't seem to care about the bed anymore. "You told Brock, but not me! What, you can't trust me now, Ash? Am I not your friend? What, did you think I was gonna get mad or something?"

Ash's eyes narrowed. "This is coming from the girl who flew into a rage when her 'friend' asked her-very politely, I might add-to lower the volume of her iPod.". For some reason, he getting flared up quicker than he ever does, and it was rising even faster. Pikachu noticed this and quickly left. He had only seen Ash lose his temper once, and he never wanted to see that happen again.

Meanwhile, Misty retaliated with a voice that she knew Ash was extremely annoyed. "Oh, there you go, bringing that up again! Who bring up stupid crap like that? You were just being a big baby. You need to grow up and be a man! Right now, you're just a dense, idiotic, selfish, jer-"

Ash let out a roar of frustration and yelled "Enough!". His eye seemed to flash violently for a second. Misty seemed to turn more pale. She sat down in one of the chairs so that her knees weren't buckling. She had never seen Ash get mad before, and now she knew why. He had gone from sarcastically calm one second to more terrifying than hell the next. Misty's eyes watered, but Ash didn't notice.

"You know what? I don't care. Yes, I didn't say anything, and I'm sorry. But please, no more fighting. I'm sick of it! You don't have to be such a _bitch_ about it!" He couldn't contain his voice. He was getting louder, and Misty was petrified with fear. The word he had just called her rang in her head and made her heart explode in mental pain.

"So go on. Go ahead. Turn up the volume full blast. I don't frickin' care anymore. I'm supposed to be relaxing, so I'm gonna relax somewhere else! Somewhere where you won't be able bother me _no more!_" He grabbed the large package he had received and headed for the door.

Misty couldn't speak. Ash's words had cut into her heart. The words 'no more' still reverberated inside the walls of her mind. She never knew that Ash was under stress. She knew by the sound of his voice and by how quickly he got mad. It would take a lot to even get Ash to frown, let alone pissed off. Although she should be mad at him, even terrified of him, she found it in her heart to forgive him.

She needed to tell him. Tell him why she has been more annoying to him. Tell him why she has been thinking about him. Tell him that she cares about him more than he ever realized. But by the time she could even get control of her voice, he was gone. She fell to the floor and curled up into a ball, her hands clutching her knees.

She couldn't see. The tears obstructed her view.

"I'm so sorry…"

* * *

"I'm so sorry…"

He said these words over and over, out loud and in his head.

Why did he lose it like that? He moved his feet as they dangled over the ledge on the rooftop. He couldn't believe how loose the security is around here, despite the hotel's popularity. He got up and paced the roof's perimeter, as he has done frequently over the past half hour. He was a confused wreck of a guy. He can't believe he called her that horrible word. He didn't mean it, of course, but he was in a more complex situation at the moment. He had been thinking of things that he had never really given much thought on when he was younger. Ever since he got back from Hoenn; ever since he saw her again…

'Oh God. _Her!_ Why do I keep thinking about her?' He grasped his hair in frustration. 'Why am I thinking 'bout her twenty-four seven? Somebody just tell me why!'

As he was thinking, a piece of paper flew by his face. His attention now focused on the new object, Ash's eyes followed the paper until it flew into the distance and slapped into a billboard sign. Ash's eyes grew wide as took a look at the ad on the board and read it out loud:

"To be in love is confusing; to say you are in love makes it simple."

Ash couldn't believe it. Could it really be that simple? "Well," he reasoned, "I guess there's only one way to find out."

He tried to relieve tension by shaking his arms and head, took a deep breath, and released it.

"I…l-lo-love…Missss..ty," he said as slow as he can manage at the moment. He blinked. And he smiled.

"I-I love Misty. I love her! Of course! It all makes sense! I love her, love her, love her!" Ash was practically bouncing around with joy. "Oh, man, I love the sound of that!" he ran towards the roof's front so that he was facing all of Celadon City. He took a deep breath once again, punched his fists in to the air, and…

"I LOVE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN ALL OF KANTO! I'M IN LOVE WITH MY BEST FRIEND! WHOOO!"

He got mixed reactions at that.

"Good for you!"

"Go be high somewhere else, idiot!"

"I love you too, baby! Call me!"

Ash's common sense was finally coming back after being taken over by pure adrenaline. He looked down at the people staring at him from the ground. Some were even taking pictures of him. Realizing that through a newspaper was not the best way to tell Misty how he feels, he backed away from the edge and started to walk to the stairway door before security actually did some work.

"Okay, now what?" he said to himself as he made his way to the door. "I love her, so that mystery's solved. The new enigma: does she love me? Oh, man, I hope she does. Then again, she probably hates me for going berserk on her earlier. And there's the whole 'bitch' thing…" He stops and sighs heavily. "I gotta apologize. That's the least I can do…but still," he continued as he rolled his eyes and began slowly ambling again, "I absolutely _dislike_ iPods. Listening to music has gotten too complicated." He had finally gotten to the door. He chuckled at all that had happened up here.

"Hmm…maybe I could get her into eight-tracks," he mused, remembering one of his old hobbies. He shut the door behind him and made his way back to his room. "People will go back to eight-tracks. They don't know what they're missing. They're gonna realize their mistake" He stopped. He had forgotten something. He raced back onto the roof and grabbed his mysterious parcel.

"Heh heh, it's official: I am in love with her," stated Ash. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't have forgotten this." He closed the roof door, package in hand.

**Author's notes: Okay, the ending's a little 'eh', but I couldn't really think of anything else, so, like I always do, I winged it. How do you think Ash would be like if he got mad? …..yeah, I don't know, either. But this is called _fan_ fiction for a reason, so that is my view of a pissed-off Ash. I'm not gonna tell you what's in the package (actually, I don't know myself. It just wound up in there). But I do know that it has to do with Misty going totally crazy for Ash at one point of this story. That's about it for now. Review back to me. Looking forward to it.**

**Until next time…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: I meant for this chapter to be as part as the other one. Turns out that this chapter is even longer than what the second chapter was originally going to be. Now things begin to heat up between Ash and Misty. A part of this chapter was inspired by two stories I read when I first found this site called 'The Pokemon Tower'. They worked pretty well together, so I kinda combined them. I hope I don't exactly make it look like I copied it, though. Oh well. Enjoy!**

**Until next time…**

_**Musical Muse**_

Ch. 3: The Interesting Benefits…

Pikachu wondered if it was safe to go back to the room.

He had been hiding in Kapichu's room while Pikapi was yelling at Pikachupi. The dark breeder told the electric mouse that he needed to go check on the teenagers. He dared to open the door to and check on the two. Pikapi wasn't there. Pikachupi was crying into the pillow. Pikachu slowly walked into the room, being careful not to make a sound. His tactics were ruined when the door creaked and Pikachupi picked her head up from the bed.

Pikachu sighed. Even with her eyes red and puffed from crying, she was beautiful. No wonder Pikapi was infatuated with her.

Pikachu cautiously walked up to the clearly depressed human female and attempted to comfort her, though he knew that Pikapi was the only one that can understand him.

"Pikachupi, pi ka-ka pi ka?"

Pikachupi smiled, as if she was glad that Pikachu was there.

"Hey, Pikachu." She got off the bed, picked up the little saffron mouse and brought him back to the bed, stroking his fuzzy head along the way. "Oh, how I need company. You don't know how miserable I've been since he left." She didn't even get to finish the sentence before she started crying again. Pikachu wriggled out of her arms and patted Pikachupi on the shoulder.

"Pika, pika, chu Pikachupi. Pikapi chu pi chupika-chu."

She chuckled. "I guess you're saying that Ash didn't mean to be like that?"

"Chu." He jumped unto the top of her head and patted her forehead.

"Aww, thanks, little guy…hey. Can I tell you a secret?"

Pikachu simply nodded his head.

"Well…" she shifted her feet and touched her index fingers together. She was nervous and scared, qualities that Pikachu had never seen in her before.

"I…I, uh…I'm in lo-love with…um…" the girl was as red as her hair now. Pikachu stared with fascination. He knew what Pikachupi was trying to say.

"Pikapi?" This was more of a statement than a question. She stared in shock, then she sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Ha ha. Yeah, Pikachu. I'm in love with Pikapi. Arrogant, dumb, thick-headed, confident, lovable drop-dead gorgeous Pikapi."

This was all Pikachu needed to hear. "Pikachupi, pika kachu Pikachu pi-chu ka pi chu-pi-chu-ka! Pikapi pichu ka!"

Pikachupi just stared. "Hey, shouldn't you know that I don't understand a word that you're saying?" She shook her head with sympathy.

Pikachu smacked himself on the forehead. 'You really need to talk to Pikapi about the whole 'Pika-nese' thing, he thought to himself.

Pikachupi just giggled at the little mouse's unknown dilemma. "It's all right Pikachu. I'm sure Ash will chill out by the time he gets back." Her eyes and voice betrayed her words with uncertainty.

Pikachu's eyes lit up. If he can find Pikapi, he can tell him for her! He quickly got on his paws and zoomed out of the room. He followed the strong, tangy scent that was his master's and made his way up to the rooftop. He began to open the roof door as quietly as he could manage. He had opened the door just enough to see Pikapi…

"I-I love Misty. I love her! Of course! It all makes sense! I love her, love her, love her!"

Pikachu had never seen his master so giddy before. He could just stare at his trainer, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, as Pikapi ran around like a maniac and shouted at the top of his lungs.

'It's safe to assume that Pikapi is not mad at Pikachupi anymore,' Pikachu mused as he made his to Kapichu's room where Pikapi had hid all of the ketchup bottles.

Misty felt a little better. She still felt like crap, but at least she felt better. The talk with Pikachu certainly did the trick. She had been crying into her pillow as if she had lost her husband.

'God, why do I have to be such a bitch?' she wondered. 'Why can't I tell him how much he means to me? The way he walks, talks, acts; everything he does has me head over tennis shoes for him.' she added. She sighed, wondering what was gonna happen when he came back. Would he cancel the whole trip because of her? Oh, God, she hoped not. Then she would never forgive herself for ruining things for the boys and the Pokemon. They all needed a break, and what does she do? Start a fight that she couldn't handle.

"I need to calm down," she told herself. Deciding that now would be a good time to change, she slipped into her sleeping attire that consisted of a high cut-off white t-shirt and shorts that were so short that they were shorter than her day shorts. She digs into her backpack and pulls out her iPod. She stares at it with a mixture of emotions, as if she expected the device to apologize for all of the trouble it has been causing. She also pulled out her set of mini-speakers and plugged them into her iPod. She looked through her music library for a song that she could relax to. Although she hasn't told anybody, she was a superb dancer. She dance anything to a waltz to Tejano dancing to "club" dancing, which was what she wanted to do at the moment.

Finally, she found a song worth dancing to at this time. She hit the play button and tuned everything else out…

"Misty, I would sincerely like to apologize for my un-gentleman-like behavior earlier this evening…" Ash made a confused face and sighed. He had been trying to find an apology that Misty would believe and accept, but it seemed be harder to think of one than he thought. His latest one wasn't even close to believable. He sighed again and continued walking down the hall, stopping for awhile to think about his last useless excuse. He sighed for the third time, realizing that he was at his suite's door.

'Oh, well,' he shrugged, 'I guess it's winging time.'. He was about to slip his card when he realized something: loud music was coming from the other side of the door. It was Latin music, and it had a beautiful trumpet and a exotic beat. It was a dance remix of that song called 'Hips Don't Lie', by Shakira , if he was right. Wondering what Misty was doing, Ash slowly slipped his card in and out of the door slot and quietly opened the door.

The first thing that Ash took in was that the room was dark, but there were disco like lights all around the room. The second thing that he saw was Misty's iPod hooked up to some sort of speaker, which was also the source of the disco light. The next thing he saw was Misty, and he dropped his package and didn't notice anything else after that.

Misty was dancing to the music like she was a professional. She wore her sleeping clothes that made it very cleat that every curve on her body could be seen, and she knew how to flaunt what she had. Ash couldn't keep his eyes of her swaying body.

'I love iPods,' the young boy thought as the dancing girl starting singing along to the chorus.

"I'm on tonight. You know my hips don't lie and I'm startin' to feel it's right…"

As she popped her hips at 'hips don't lie', Ash was 100% enjoying himself. 'if only there was popcorn and pizza; then it would be dinner and a show,' he thought to himself. He decided to have his own fun and join at the next verse. He snuck up behind Misty and placed his hands on her waist.

Misty, who had been in her own little world, jumped in fright and turned around. "ASH! What the hell are you- mmmph!" Ash had put his finger to her lips, causing her mind and hormones to race. His touch felt so good on her lips.

"Shh, don't talk," Ash said as he grabbed Misty's hands and put them around his neck, a sly grin on his face. "Just go with it." he started dancing to the music, running his hands all over her waist.

Misty's common sense was immediately telling to slap the living daylights out of him. But another voice, born of love and pleasure, told her to give into her desires. She succumbed to his confusing advances and started to sway.

At first, they were just dancing close to each other. But as their hormones grew stronger, and as they started to get into the music, Ash and Misty got closer and closer, grazing each others bodies to the point where it could be considered freak dancing or bumping and grinding. Finally the song ended, leaving the two teens breathing heavily, completely drenched in sweat, and in a very close proximity to each other.

"I love iPods, now," Ash chuckled as he looked into his friend's blue eyes. Misty giggled and got closer.

Once again, they didn't say anything for awhile, taking in the other one's presence; once again, it was Misty who broke the ice.

"You're still an asshole." she giggled when she told him.

Ash sighed. "There's just no pleasing you, is there?"

Misty giggled again, then she pulled the boy into a hug. "But you're a sweet asshole, so it's okay."

Ash just looked at the girl in his arms as if she was crazy. But he decided it was hopeless; he was in love with an unpredictable girl. He broke away from their embrace, much to his reluctance. "Mist," he started, oblivious to her happy sigh to the sound of her nickname, "when I got mad at you, I didn't mean to. It's just….just I've been under a lot of stress lately. I never meant to take it out on you. I never like getting mad 'cause I sorta lose control of myself. I would say things I didn't even know I was saying…

"Mist, I just need you to know…" he paused for a minute considering for a minute what he should say. Should he tell her his feelings, or should he just stick to his improvised script? The song had changed to a slow, ballad kind of song. The lights emitting from the speakers changed to a multi-colored swirl to a slow, mirror ball-like rain. He looked and decided that though this would be an amazing time to tell her, the perfect time was yet to come. They can wait. For now.

"May I have this dance?" Ash extended his hand to Misty. Misty, taken aback from his uncharacteristic politeness, accepted. Soon, they were dancing slowly around their room, looking into each others eyes when less than two hours ago they were at each others throats.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"You need me to know what?"

Ash blushed. "Oh! Guess I kinda forgot, huh?" he chuckled. She couldn't help but laugh too. "I just wanted you to know how deeply sorry I am. I will never treat you like that again. You mean too much to me for me to lose you now."

Misty was stricken with love. She meant something to him? 'Then…I night have a chance…'

"Ash, I wanna say sorry too. I should have never gotten mad. If you wanna treat us to whatever we want on your money, then by all means."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what do you want?"

"A better battery for my iPod? Pweeeeaaase?" Misty pouted her lips and batted her eyelashes. He couldn't resist.

"Deal, you little con artist."

She giggled once again and rested her head on his shoulders. He didn't mind one bit. As the ballad song ended, they stood their ground, their heads resting on the others shoulders, taking in their scent. Misty wanted to tell Ash so badly, and he was feeling the same thing. To keep himself from slipping, Ash said the first thing that popped into his head.

"You're a good dancer."

Misty came out of the stupor that only being real close to Ash brought and blushed. "Shut up."

"No, I'm seri- whoa!" Ash was pulled forward by Misty, who had broken the calmness between them and grasped Ash by his jacket collar. Ash cringed at the glare that the redhead was giving him.

"I mean it, Ash Ketchum; if you tell anyone about this night, I'll splatter you into a paste and feed you to a rabid Houndoom. _Kapeesh?_"

Ash was so frightened he could only stutter. "Kape-kapee-ka-yeah…" he sheepishly finished. After that Misty relaxed at laid down on the bed.

"Thank you, Ash. That's very sweet" said Misty sincerely as she gazed upon her extremely confused friend's cuteness.

"Uh…welcome?" he shrugged as he scratched the back of his head. 'A second's worth of bliss is worth an eternity of pain…hey! Where did that come from? Oh well…' He started to grab his sleeping bag in the corner of the room when Misty spoke up.

"Ash, what are you doing?"

Ash looked at her like he thought she was kidding. "What? You think I'm gonna let you sleep on the floor?" He wagged his finger side to side and tsked. "What kind of friend would I be if I did that, huh?" He unrolled his sleeping bag and started to get inside when he felt her grabbed his arm.

"You don't have to sleep on the floor because of me," Misty replied, blushing for some reason unknown to Ash.

"Um, I don't see how."

Misty blanched. Sometimes, Ash's head goes from thick to impenetrable. "Ash, I meant that you and I can _share_ the bed, idiot." Now Ash could see why Misty was blushing, and now he was too.

"Um…are you sure? I mean…you know: I'm a guy; you're a girl;… wouldn't it be weird?" His thoughts contrasted his words, though. 'Don't say it's weird. Don't say it's weird…'

"I'm sure, Ash," she smiled. "We'll just stay on our own sides of the bed." She wondered if she could be true to her word.

Ash seemed to relax, but remained skeptical. "Weeeell…"

Misty giggled, then got off the bed and pinched her friend's cheek. "Aww, you're shy. I won't bite." she added in. 'I won't bite…hard,' she smiled inwardly at her little joke.

Finally, Ash gave in, saying that he too tired to argue. He went into the bathroom with his sleeping clothes to change into. While he was changing, Misty decided to change as well. Debating on her decision for a moment, she decided to have a little fun with the poor guy. She decides to wear an even smaller cut-off t-shirt and shorter shorts, so short that they could have passed for undergarments. Ash steps out wearing only a pair of simple black pajama bottoms. As the two teens glance at each other, the hormones kicked in, along with quick, small fantasies.

'Oh…my…_God_, he's has the nicest bod! I'm gonna have fun tonight tee hee!'

'Okay, how in the blue hell am I supposed to sleep with a girl who can be a supermodel, not to mention she's my best friend? I'm gonna die tonight; either from her mallet or lack of blood circulation…'

After regaining his bearings, Ash suggests that they should get to sleep since it's getting late. Misty, after ungluing her eyes off of Ash, agrees and crawls into her side of the bed while Ash gets the lights.

Misty watches him as he comes toward her in the dark. 'Oh, he is so handsome,' she pined silently as he ambled his way to the other side of bed, lightly grazing Misty's exposed feet in passing. She giggled girlishly as he got in pulled the covers up.

"Ash, don't do that," she whined as she shoved her bed buddy, making him almost fall off the bed. She turned away with her back facing so he wouldn't see her blushing.

Feeling competitive, Ash smirked. "Do what? This?" He began to gently trace random patterns on Misty's exposed back. Just like he hoped, Misty jumped and turned around, and retrieving her mallet that she hid under the bed. She warned him. She didn't care if she enjoyed it, she still warned him. And now he was going to suffer the consequences.

That was if he had not prepared for the attack, intercepted the mallet, grabbed it and threw it onto the floor on his side of the bed, well out of Misty's reach. Misty was breathing tumultuously as Ash got up and closed the space between them and began to tickle her. She was laughing so hard that she was kicking her legs.

"HAHAHA- Ash! Ple-hee-hee-heease! It's not funny!"

"It is from where I am!" Ash replied cheekily and continue. Suddenly, out of one massive surge of adrenaline, Misty pulled Ash to the bed and got on top of him. He knew what was coming from the mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Well then, it's time to see how funny it is!" Now it was Ash's turn to get tickled. Turns out he was just was ticklish, but he somehow managed to get a hold on Misty and start tickling back. Now both of them were laughing their heads off, just enjoying themselves in their moment of innocence. After a few more minutes, they finally stopped, completely exhausted. They were still laughing.

"Wow. I haven't had this much fun since we were kids!" Misty stated.

"Yeah," was Ash's simple reply. The laughter slowly subsided, and the two realized that Misty was still on top of Ash. The two blushed, then Misty let herself fall onto Ash's chest. Ash instinctively wrapped his arms around her, his hands resting in her crimson hair and on the small of her back.

"We've never been this close before, have we?" Misty asked after a couple minutes in comfortable silence.

"No…but I like it," said Ash as he lightly squeezed Misty. Misty heart was going over a hundred miles and hour and had no sign of slowing down. But Misty could see something.

'He's doing this to make me feel better. He's not interested in a relationship,' Misty couldn't help but feel bad about this, but maybe somehow she can use this that way they both get what they want. "I like it too."

He merely sighed when she said that. He was glad that she didn't feel awkward about it. He unconsciously began to rub her back with the hand that was on it. Misty loved the enticing sensation of the massage. She moaned with pleasure. It's not everyday that you get a back rub from the guy you secretly love while in bed. Ash, upon hearing Misty's moan, stopped.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Ash? Why did you stop?" Misty was slightly annoyed.

Ash was scared. What if he did something that she didn't want him to do? He began to pull away to stare Misty in the eye. "Misty, I'm your friend, right?"

Misty sighed. "Oh Ash, you're not just a friend." she picked up her hand and cupped his cheek. "You're the best friend I have ever had. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Ash didn't know what to do: kiss her or faint. 'God…I know you're testing me here. I just wanna let you know…I'm a C-student and I like to daydream, _okay?_'

"Actually," Misty continued, "you just might be the closest thing that I've had to a boyfriend." She as red as her hair now and had half her face covered by the blanket. Ash had turned as pale as she was, and was beginning to sweat.

"Um…I'll be right back." He got out the bed as quickly as his mentally paralyzed body could and went to the bathroom. Misty took this opportunity to plan what she was going to tell him next. She wanted to make sure she made it as comfortable as possible to accept or decline, although she hoped she didn't have to hear the latter.

In the bathroom, Ash was flipping out. 'She said that I, _Ash Ketchum_, the _nonromantic Ash Ketchum_, was the closest thing she ever had to a boyfriend,' the troubled young man thought. 'What the-the the _hell_ is that supposed to mean?' he grabbed his hair in frustration for the second time that night. He decided to review his options:

A.) Go back to the bed and tell Misty how he really feels.

B.) Go back to the bed and see what else Misty has to say.

C.) Jump out of the window to end the agony of his brain and heart.

After reasoning that now is not the time for the first one and that if he used the last one he won't be able to even use the first two, Ash picked the second option and began to calm himself down. When he was able to think clearly again, he went back to the room where, surprisingly to Ash, Misty was sitting on the edge of the bed. She patted the mattress, signaling Ash to sit down next to her. Slowly, he walked over and sat down.

"Listen, Ash," Misty started. Ash noticed that she sounded more serious. "I'm sorry if I scared you-"

"Misty, it's all right," Ash interrupted, "it was just a lot to take in at one moment. I never knew that you never thought of me like that."

"Uh, yeah. Sorry, again…" she really didn't know how to beat around this next question, so she just went with what came out of her mouth. "Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"You never had a g-girlfriend before…right?" she already knew the answer.

"Uhhh…nooo…" Ash said slowly. Where was she going with this?

"Well," she said, suddenly interested in a little hole in her shirt. "Well, we're gonna be in relationships sooner or later, right?" _'Hopefully with you.'_

She saw him nod his head in agreement, not knowing that he was thinking the same thing. "Anyway, I was thinking that we should be, um, prepared for what will happen in the future."

Ash nodded again. He was beginning to realize where this was going. "Are you saying," he began to ask, "that we start going out?" He was actually hoping that she said no; he wasn't prepared to tell her everything now.

Misty drew a breath "No, that's not what I'm saying, silly," she tried to make it funny to hide her sadness. She got closer to Ash, and the sadness immediately went away. "But we can be friends…with benefits." she finished as she rested her hands on top of his.

He didn't know what to think, She was coming on to him. How is this happening? "And what exactly," he throat had somehow dried up on him, "are friends with…'benefits', you say?" he air-quoted the word for emphasis.

Misty couldn't help but smile. At least he was interested. That means that he wasn't rejecting the offer. "It's when a guy and a girl are best friends and do some relationship stuff, like tell secrets-"

"We already do that," said Ash.

"Hang out all the time-"

"That's been covered too."

Misty was getting annoyed. "We also kiss," she said flatly.

"We already-best friend say _what_?"

"Yup. We get to kiss, cuddle, hold each other-" she cut herself off when she saw the look on his face. There was a mix of confusion, fear, and excitement in his eyes.

"We…uh…k-k-kiss?" now _he_ was as red as Misty's hair.

Misty began to blush too. "Well, yeah…but as friends."

Ash was still confused. "Why do you want to do this, anyway?"

Misty froze. She hadn't thought of a good reason for her wanting to do this besides the real reason. "Because, um, well," she stammered, hoping Ash wouldn't say anything else. Finally, she made up a good one. "Because I want to be prepared for my first relationship, and who better to prepare me other than the one guy on this planet that knows me the best?" she pulled herself closer to Ash to where her head rested on his shoulder.

Ash was a confused young guy at that moment. Should he accept her really, really…_really_ generous offer. Or…

"But Misty, what if this ruins out friendship?"

Luckily, Misty prepared to answer that particular question. "No, it won't. I want you to do this for me. I want you to help me feel better about my future relationship, no matter who it will be with. I want you to be my example for romance." She meant every word.

Ash couldn't refuse. "Mist," he whispered, and closed the gap between them by, as gently as he could, pressing his lips against hers. She was predictably surprised by his quick decision, but, as love can only make you do, succumbed to her friend's power, wrapping her arms around his neck. After what seemed an eternity, Ash broke the kiss and looked at Misty. She still had her eyes closed. As they opened, she smiled.

"How's that for an example?" Ash chuckled. He didn't laugh for long as Misty launched herself onto him, pulled him down to the bed and kissed him practically everywhere on his face before she found his lips. As they began to kiss more wildly, Misty broke the kiss and gasped, as if coming to her senses. She backed away and sat up on the bed, tears beginning to form.

"I'm so sorry, Ash. It was a stupid idea." she was going too fast. If she hadn't stopped when she had, she didn't think that she would have stopped; that could've ruined everything. She began to cry when Ash wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay, Mist. I'm fine. And it wasn't a stupid idea."

"It isn't?"

"No way," Ash smiled, "I like this idea. Like you said, it's for our future relationships. And besides, we'll still be friends after this." He frowned at this fact, even though he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

Misty leaned back into his arms. "Thanks, Ash. This really means a lot to me."

"What, kissing your best friend?"

Misty giggled, though she almost said 'exactly'.

"And besides, you're a good kisser." said Ash.

Misty gasped again. "Do you really mean that?" Her eyes were getting watery again. "Oh, Ash you're so sweet! I thought I messed it up."

"You didn't. You're just letting you're passion run wild. Here," he placed Misty face up on the bed, her head resting on a pillow. "Lemme show you." He lowered his head and kissed her again, just like the first time. Misty was timid about messing up again, but that feeling began to quickly fade.

Ash moved away from her mouth and to her cheek, the her jaw line, then her neck. Misty was breathing heavily and moaning her approval. "Do you see how I didn't go into a frenzy and still was able to satisfy you?" he asked. She could only nod, she was panting so heavily. "That's how you do it. Now you try."

Misty looked up and met Ash's gaze. She had never seen his molten chocolate orbs so beautiful "Okay….I'll try…" She started off by kissing Ash for the third real time that night, pressing firmly. She felt him open his mouth, so she did the same thing. She let her tongue meet with his, and they started to deepen their kiss a bit further, embracing each other as they did so.

'OhmyGodohmyGodohmy_GOD!_ I'm French kissing him! It feels so good' I like how his lips and tongue feel against mine. This is definitely the best idea I've ever had!'

'Whoa. Sweet deity on a mountain bike! She's a great kisser. Just another reason for loving her. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah…'

The kiss went on for a while until Misty ran out of air and broke off the kiss. "How…was…that…Ash?" she asked, still trying to catch her breath.

"Uh," Ash stuttered, clearing his throat. "Much…_much_ better."

"Aww!" Misty gave Ash a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Ash happily returned both. They got back under the covers facing each other, a comfortable, calm silence ensued as they looked at each other, smiling like never before.

"So…what now?" Misty asked. "Where doe this leave us?"

"Well, it's just like you said, isn't it?" said Ash as he propped himself up on one arm. "We're still best friends," he reached out and played with her hair. "But with benefits."

She smiled. 'He's okay with this,' she thought. 'This has to mean he see me as a little more than a friend. But for now,' she grabbed his outstretched hand and began to kiss it, 'this'll do just fine. Let him tell me on my own.'

"Well, I don't know about you, but all this kissing has made me very sleepy," said Ash as he yawned. Misty mimicked his yawn and agreed, saying that she put a lot of energy into those kisses, making both of them laugh. Ash pulled the covers up over himself and Misty. Misty wiggles closer to Ash to where their foreheads are meeting.

"Misty?"

"Yeah?"

"We're not gonna tell Brock, right?"

Misty giggled. "No, silly. Let's just act like we always do with him. It's when we're alone," she traced a finger along his bare chest, "that we can continue our 'benefits."

Ash shrugged. "I guess that's fine as wine with me."

Misty giggled. "Ooh, say that again."

"What? Fine as wine?"

"Oh, I love the way you say that." It was sending shivers up and down her spine. Once again, Ash shrugged and gave a quick kiss on the lips of his 'friend'. He didn't know what to call a girl who is more than a friend, but not really your girlfriend.

"Good night Mist."

"Good night Ash. Thanks for doing this for me."

He pulled her closer than ever before. "I wouldn't do it for anyone else." With that he closed his eyes.

Misty laid her head down on his chest, listening to the heart she loved the most. "It's things like that that make me fall in love with you even more." she whispered as she drifted into sleep.

As they dreamed, their hands unconsciously intertwined with each others, symbolizing that even when they don't know it, their love always finds each other.

**Author's Notes: …okay, this was an interesting chapter. Ash kind of took over for a while when I originally had Misty in control of the whole kissing scene. But I type out on a whim, and I like the outcome. The 'Fine as wine' comment is from the movie '_Jack Frost_' starring Michael Keaton, And is one of my personal last decision of Ash's three choices was kind of over dramatic, don't you think? By the way, the song that Misty was dancing to, 'Hips Don't Lie' by Shakira, is a great song. And Shakira herself is a amazing singer…and the _sexiest _dancer ever (if you see her music videos, you'll know why). In the next chapter, Misty and Brock ask what's in the package that he got at the hotel, but Ash refuses until Misty 'corners' him later. But before any of that happens, Team Rocket shows up, and the impossible happens: Brock hits on _Jessie_! If you thinks that's bad, I'm going to have to write it (let alone think of how to make it good!) Seriously, though, review me.**

**Until next time…**


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